LONDON – British Foreign Minister David Cameron said on Feb 21 that Britain has imposed sanctions on six officials at the Siberian penal colony where Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny died.

“Those responsible for Navalny’s brutal treatment should be under no illusion. We will hold them accountable,” Mr Cameron said.

The sanctioned individuals will be subject to freezes of any British assets and travel bans.

They included Mr Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin, who was overseeing the IK-3 Arctic penal colony known as “Polar Wolf”, and five of his deputies.

While it is unclear exactly how Mr Navalny died, British officials have concluded the guards at the prison subjected him to conditions tantamount to torture by repeatedly holding him in solitary confinement, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg earlier.

The Russians targeted by sanctions were ultimately responsible for Mr Navalny’s death, they said.

Britain, which was the first nation to issue sanctions related to Mr Navalny’s death on Feb 16, also called for his body to be released to his family immediately.

“It’s clear that the Russian authorities saw Navalny as a threat and they tried repeatedly to silence him,” Mr Cameron said.

The Russian authorities “poisoned him with Novichok in 2020, they imprisoned him for peaceful political activities, and they sent him to an Arctic penal colony”. “No one should doubt the oppressive nature of the Russian system,” he added.

“That’s why we’re today sanctioning the most senior prison officials responsible for his custody in the penal colony where he spent his final months.”

Britain is not alone in planning fresh sanctions on Russia over the death of Mr Navalny, a lawyer and opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The White House said on Feb 20 that United States President Joe Biden’s administration will announce on Feb 23 a “major” sanctions package to hold Russia accountable for Mr Navalny’s death. AFP, BLOOMBERG